Blogger Recognition Award

I was gifted this award by the lovely Ami who blogs over at Undercover Superhero and am delighted that she chose me as one of her nominations, Thank you so much, Ami!!!  Ami has a fab blog that is all about superheroes, living with disability and is a blog full of positivity.  Please go and say Hi and have a read of her blog!

There are some rules that go along with the nomination. It is by no means required to make a post if you are nominated, but here they are!

• Thank the blogger(s) for nominating you and give the link to their blog!
• Write a post on your site, displaying the award, that describes why you started your blog.
• Write 2 pieces of advice you have for new bloggers.
• Nominate (and notify!) 15 more bloggers that are awesome.

I started this blog as I had begun to miss blogging.  In the past, I had a few different blogs that were very niche which I updated in a very ad-hoc manner.  Because the blogs were so niche, and because of the names of the blogs I felt that I couldn’t add other topics into them and over time I just stopped blogging.  I realised that I had started to miss writing and the whole blogging community, I wanted to write about my life, art and craft, DIY, fashion, tips and other things that I found interesting and so this blog was born.

In the time that I have been blogging, I have learned a few things and my 2 key pieces of advice to anyone on their blogging journey would be…

1. Never compare yourself to any other bloggers.  I know that this can be hard when there are some brilliant bloggers around, but, if you start to compare yourself then it will not just affect you, but your writing as well.  Don’t get sucked into being envious of others because of the number of followers, likes or comments that others get, and don’t be jealous of another blogger for the content or images they share.  If you find that you are starting to compare yourself then see if you can learn from what you are envious of, whether it be how to take better photos, write better and more engaging content or think of ways you could improve your blog to attract more readers.
2. Never be afraid to try something.  If you have an idea, then try it out and see what happens.  You will never learn or grow if you are afraid to try new things.  The worst that can happen is that the thing you try goes unnoticed and doesn’t go as planned.  You can work with this and think of ways to improve on your idea.  At the very worst, there is a delete button.

My Nominees…

Rory of A Guy Called Bloke

Carol Anne of Therapy Bits

Kriti ‘s Blog

Tatterhood

Sadji of Keep It Alive

Giggling Fattie

Simon of Beyond the Infinite

Ashleyleia of Mental Health @ Home

The Confusing Middle

Salted Caramel

Mel at Decor Craft Design

Beckie’s Mental Mess

Riya of World Of My Thoughts

Cyranny’s Cove

Mystery Blogger Award #3

I have been gifted the Mystery Blogger Award by Uniquely Cass who runs a brilliant blog about all things she is interested and passionate about.  If you haven’t checked out her blog, please pop over, check out her blog and say hi!

I love receiving awards and am always honoured to have been chosen as a recipient for them.  I love answering the questions posed as I feel that it let you guys get to know me better, it’s a brilliant networking tool and I really enjoy asking questions for others to respond to.  So thank’s Cass for the award and the opportunity to share with others!

What’s the Mystery Blogger Award?

“It’s an award for amazing bloggers with ingenious posts. Their blog not only captivates; it inspires and motivates. They are one of the best out there, and they deserve every recognition they get. This award is also for bloggers who find fun and inspiration in blogging, and they do it with so much love and passion.”

OKOTO ENIGMA

Rules

1. Put the award logo/image on your blog
2. List the rules
3. Thank whoever nominated you and provide a link to their blog
4. Mention the creator of the award and provide a link as well
5. Answer the 5 questions you were asked
6. Tell your readers 3 things about yourself
7. You have to nominate 10 – 20 people
8. Notify your nominees by commenting on their blog
9. Ask your nominees any 5 questions of your choice; with one weird or funny question (specify)
10. Share a link to your best post(s)

Cass’ Questions

1. What’s your all-time favourite book?  Creepers by David Morrell
2. What book series was your favourite growing up?  Mallory Towers by Enid Blyton when I was in Primary School then the Point Horror/Point Romance books.
3. What is your go-to song right now?  Dare – Gorillaz or Strange Attraction – The Cure
4. (Funny Question) Who is your celebrity crush?  Samuel L Jackson or Richard E Grant.
5. If you could travel to once place for the rest of your life, where would you go?  Somewhere quiet, warm, sunny, that had easy access to a beach and had beautiful views.

About Me

1.  I really love green tea, especially Sencha Kyoto Cherry Rose tea!
2. I have some really weird fears including pipes and toilet cisterns.
3. When I was younger I had dreams of becoming a teacher or a card and wallpaper designer.

Best Blog Posts

1. Blog Maintainance – Routine Checks
2. I Broke Up…with Facebook
3. Asperger’s and Me
4. April Blogging From A – Z Challenge

My Nominations

1. Beyond the Infinite
2. Bournemouth Girl
3. Beckie’s Mental Mess
4. A Guy Called Boke
5. Katie’s Sanctuary
6. A Caricature of Life
7. Revenge of Eve
8. Cara’s Corner
9. Cyranny’s Cove
10. Bereaved Single Dad

My Questions

1. What is the weirdest thing that has happened to you?
2. What is your biggest accomplishment?
3. What are you most proud of?
4. (Weird/funny)  If you were to be arrested, what would it be for?
5. (Shameless self-promotion)  Would you like to be featured as part of my Saturday Shout Out series?

Sunshine Blogger Award #2

The Sunshine Blogger award is given by bloggers to bloggers who inspire positivity and creativity in the blogging community.

I was gifted this award by Ami of Undercover Superhero, Ami is a truly amazing blogger with an equally amazing recovery story.  If you haven’t visited Ami’s blog then pop over and say hi!  Thank you, Ami, for this award, I love that you have gifted me with this, not only for what the award stands for but also for taking the time to share it with me and posing really interesting, thought-provoking questions!

The rules of the Sunshine Blogger Award are as follows:

• Thank the person who nominated you and links back to their site.
• Answer the 11 questions asked by your nominator.
• Nominate at least 11 more bloggers for the award and write 11 new, creative questions for your nominees to answer.
• Notify your nominees via social media or by commenting on their blog.
• List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo on your site or in your post.

Ami’s Questions

1. What movie title best describes your life?  The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
2. If you were to create a single item of stationery, what would it be called and what would it include?  Hmm…some kind of storage device that could hold all my stationery and make it easy to transport it all by shrinking it all down into a small little box that could fit into your pocket.  It would be called the “Statio-shrink”.
3. What are you most likely to become famous for?  Doing or saying something completely ridiculous!
4. What is the most heartwarming thing you’ve ever seen?  Any act of kindness, especially the small things that go unnoticed in day to day life.
5. Where would you spend all your time if you could?  At home with Roxy!  But Id move my home to the coast so I could spend time on the beach too!
6. What amazing thing did you do that no-one was around to see?  I did a handstand once because my friend dared me, via text…I’d had a few gin and tonics at the time and I didn’t even remember to video it.
7. What was your favourite board game growing up?  I had a game called “Beatrix Potter Race Game” which had figures of the animals (Jemima Puddle-Duck, Peter Rabbit and others) that you had to race around the board but there were cards you had to take if you landed on certain squares which could either help you along your way or scupper your progression.
8. What is the best thing about you?  That I can listen, offer advice, and am loyal.
9. What is your favourite smell?  Anything rose.  I’m currently loving Yardley English Rose.  I also love perfume from Lush called Lust.
10. What was the best compliment you ever received?  Hmmm… that’s a hard one… probably, on days when I am not feeling too good about myself, what I’m wearing or how I look then the best compliments are people saying that I look nice, they seem to be the most memorable ones.
11. Who are the most important people in your life?  My parents, brothers, their families and my friends.  And Roxy!

My Questions

1. Where is the best place you have visited?
2. If you could re-live any age, what age would you pick and why?
3. What was your favourite subject in school?
4. If you had to choose one outfit to wear for the rest of your life what would it be?
5. What is the best piece of advice you could give to younger you?
6. What is your favourite colour?
7. What pets have you had?
8. How would you spend a perfect summer day?
9. What is your favourite film?
10. Do you have a skincare routine?  What are your favourite products?
11. Would you take part in my “Saturday Shout Out“? (Sorry, shameless self-promotion there)

My Nominees

1. WillowDot21
2. Barb of Bipolar Barb
3. Rachael of The Pretend Grownup
4. Marian of Just Muddling Through Life
5. Megan of A Geeky Gal
6. Trina of Its Good to be Crazy Sometimes
7. Mel of Decor Craft Design
8. Karen of Karen’s World
9. Dr Tanya of Salted Caramel
10. Jo of Tea and Cake for the Soul
11. Tatterhood

 

Vogue Parody – 73 Questions About Me

I was tagged to take part in this question series by Ami of Undercover Superhero, and while I have never heard of the Vogue Parody before, a quick Google came up with so many interesting people taking part!  I love things like this as I feel it gives you guys a better idea of who I am as a person, and I love learning things about others too, so, even though, at the end I am asked to tag 12 people to take part, if you fancy doing so, please join in and ping back to me on this post!  I’d love to read your answers!

1)What is your usual Starbucks order?  Caramel Macchiato or Caramel Frappe with a double shot of espresso.

2) What does your work station look like right now?  A mess, but an organized mess!

3) All-time favorite food?  Anything Italian!

4) Favorite Author?  I don’t really have one, I tend to love the author of the book I am reading…currently that would be Lee Weeks.

5)What do you think of open relationships?  It’s not for me, but if people are happy then that’s really all that matters.

6) What is your favorite video game?  Either Abe’s Oddysee or Hogs Of War on the first Sony PlayStation (Retro Gamer here!).

7) Guilty Pleasure treat?  Ice cream.

8) Favorite Movie?  I don’t really have one though I really enjoyed Captain Marvel and Avengers Endgame recently!

9) Favorite book?  Creepers by David Morrell (I’ve read it 5 times so far!)

10) Twitter or Instagram?  Instagram 🙂

11) Desktop or laptop?  Laptop!

12) Best advice you’ve ever received?  It is better to make mistakes and learn from them than to never make mistakes at all.

13) What project are you working on right now?  I’m working on setting up my blog journal for next year, my blog schedule going forwards and blog ideas that I have!

14) Favorite color?  Rainbow!  Lol!  It’s honestly easier for me to list the colors I don’t like so much rather than my favorite ones!

15) Did you get good grades at school?  Yeah, surprisingly!  I was predicted to have pretty low grades but came away with 2 A’s (Art and Design Technology), 3 B’s (English Language, and Science x 2) and 4 C’s (English Literature, Maths, R.E, and Geography) for GCSEs.  I then did A Levels and had a D in Art (there was a problem with my drawing exam going missing) and English Language which I had a D in as well.

16) Dream job?  Something to do with blogs, writing, and social media.

17) Played any sports?  In school I was in the cricket team, basketball, netball, cross country running but have not played any sports since.  I have done the Park Run (5Km) several times and used to go running after work until a problem with my knee put a stop to that.

18) Do you have a degree?  I do!  I have a degree in Photographic Art (BA, Hons).

19) Nationality?  British.

20) What is your favorite kind of blog post to do?  Any of the ones I write for my blog!

21) What do you like to collect?  Sea glass, shells, broken pottery from my garden!

22) Describe yourself in three words?  Creative, colorful, kind.

23) If you were a rapper what would your rapper name be? Er, Suzi-T…

24) Who was the last person you DM’d?  I don’t do DM’s as a rule but the last person I messaged was my ex.

25) What is on the top of your wish list right now?  A fisherman’s smock and Dr Marten sandals.

26) Sorting house?  Hufflepuff

27) How many tattoos do you have? 9

28) What are you most grateful for this year?  Friends and family and Roxy.

29) What’s the best thing that’s happened to you this month?  Going to London to see my brother, sister in law and my niece and nephew!

30) What’s the best thing that’s happened to you today?  I woke up to the sun shining and feeling totally better after my sickness bug!

31) What’s the best thing ever?  Snuggling up on the sofa after a hard day and watching a good film or reading a good book.

32) Favorite season?  Autumn!

34) What fictional character do you relate to the most?  I don’t really know as I’ve never really thought about it much.

35) Do you like surprises?  Depends on the surprise…like I would hate a surprise party but other surprises are ok!

36) What’s the biggest surprise you’ve ever had?  My Dad giving me his car.

37) What’s the surprise that made you cry?  Same as above!

38) What’s the best surprise you’ve ever given someone?  The bullet journal I made for my Mum at Christmas.

39) Do you like muffins?  Yep!  Except for blueberry muffins…they seem to make my mouth go numb.

40) Do you cook often?  I try to!

41) What’s your favorite dessert?  Anything with caramel and ice cream!

42) Is there a dessert you don’t like?  No!

43) Cake or pie?  Pie, especially apple pie, yum!

44) What’s your least favorite food?  Anything that is too spicy or hot!  I love spicy, hot food but sometimes it can be over spicy and too hot for me.

45) What’s your favorite condiment?  Ketchup!

46) It’s 4am on a Saturday night, what would you eat?  Chips or something like a snack.

47) If you could teach a college class what would it be called?   The Progression of Social Media Through the Years.

48) Best animated film?  The Despicable Me series of films.

49) What has a guy (or girl) done or said to impress you?  Little things impress me more than big gestures, so things like showing up unexpectedly when I’ve not been feeling particularly good, sending me sweet texts or music to cheer me up and just being there for me.

50) The best thing to do on a date?  Going someplace that I’ve not been to before, or for ages, whether it is a park, museum or someplace else, and just going exploring together!

51) The worst thing to do on a date?  Going someplace that is overcrowded and noisy, or to watch sports…

52) What is the funniest pick-up line a guy/girl could use on a girl/guy?  We are not socks, but I think we would make a great pair…

53) Best comic book character?  Bananaman.

54) What are three things that are always in your purse?  Dust, receipts and some weird bit of metal that was stuck in a tyre many years ago…

55) Favorite drink?  Coffee or cherry rose tea.

56) If you could play a historical character who would it be?  Mary Read

57) Kittens or puppies?  I love both, but at heart, I am a dog person so puppies!

58) Favorite sushi roll?  Smoked salmon ones!

59) What kind of lipstick do you use?  I don’t tend to wear lipstick very often but, when I do, I reach for Rimmel Lasting Finish in Amethyst Shimmer.

60) What kind of foundation do you use?  GOSH Foundation Plus in 006 – Honey.  It’s a cream foundation that seems to work really well for my skin.

61) Blow dry or air dry?  It all depends on what I’m doing or where I’m going but 95% of the time I let it do its own thing and air dry.

62) Who is your fashion icon?  I don’t really have one.

63) Favorite Disney character?  Eeyore.

64) What are you doing tomorrow?  Going to work.

65) Movie you laughed the hardest through?  Bruce Almighty.

66) A movie that made you cry?  Message in a Bottle.

67) If you could sing a duet with someone who would it be?  Robert Smith from The Cure!

68) If your life were a song what would the title be?  Friday I’m In Love.

69) Favorite animal?  Dogs, sharks, tortoises.

70) Favorite illustrator?  I’m really loving the work of Keith Haring right now!  while he passed away in 1990, his work remains current and on topic.

71) The person you want to have coffee with?  My best friend.

72) What’s the country you wish to visit? Morocco.

73) Best ways to decompress?  Sit in the quiet and just be still.

Here are my 12 nominees.  I am really looking forward to reading your answers to these 73 questions!!!  Remember to create a pingback to this post!

1. Rory of A Guy Called Bloke
2. Aaron of Confusing Middle
3. Simon of Beyond the Infinite
4. Giggling Fattie of No Love for Fatties
5. Barb of Bipolar Barb
6. Tatterhood
7. Trina of Its Good to be Crazy Sometimes
8. Riya of World of my Thoughts
9.  My Quirky Friend
10.  Authoress51 of Final Chapter
11.  Karen of Karen’s World
12.  Libre Paley

Mystery Blogger Award #2

I am really touched to have been gifted with my second award for the Mystery Blogger from Rory who blogs over at A Guy Called Bloke and K9 Doodlepip. I really love receiving these awards and am always really touched that someone thinks that I’m worthy of such an award! I love that these awards exist, for me they give me the motivation to continue to blog and I love being able to share these awards with others too!

So? What is the Mystery Blogger Award?

“Mystery Blogger Award” is an award for amazing bloggers with ingenious posts. Their blog not only captivates; it inspires and motivates. They are one of the best out there, and they deserve every recognition they get. This award is also for bloggers who find fun and inspiration in blogging; and they do it with so much love and passion.
– Okoto Enigma

Award Guidance

Thank whoever gifted you and include a link to their blog

Mention the creator of the award and provide a link as well

Tell your readers 3 things about yourself

Answer the questions from the person who gifted you the Award.

Choose 3 – 5 bloggers that you wish to gift the Award to.

Ask 5 questions of your choice with one weird or funny one

Notify those you gift the Award to.

3 Things About Yourself!

When I was younger I had an imaginary friend called George, one day we had an argument when travelling home from the beach, we were driving over the Severn Bridge at the time. I wound down the car window and threw him out and into the river from the moving car, and that was the end of my imaginary friend.

When people meet my brother and I they always assume that he’s the oldest but in truth he’s 27 months younger than me!

Since starting this blog I am amazed daily by how much I really enjoy writing and creating content, thinking and planning and am a little bit proud of where my blog has come in such a small amount of time.

Rory’s Five Questions

Which is your least favourite mode of transportation?

I don’t think I have a least favourite mode of transport, though the short distance busses that transport people around the local area were never particularly pleasant at one point and I’m really glad that I can drive rather than rely on them!

Why, oh why why why did the chicken cross the road?

He didn’t like the path he was on.

What is the stupidist thing you have ever done – voluntarily?

Used de-icer on the inside window screen of my VW Polo to defrost the window. It used to leak in the rain and come winter the condensation would freeze to the inside of the screen and it took agars to clear. The de-icer ran down into the air vents which, when turned on, turned the de-icer to vapour which I breathed in…. please don’t try that at home kids….

When you have left this planet, as in your life ends, what do you think is next ….?

I don’t know if anyone has seen The Good Place but… well, that. I’m sure I’d be Eleanor Shellstrop!

At what age do you think you actually became an adult?

Ummmmmmm…I’m still waiting to find that one out myself… the answer is a mystery!

My Five Questions

What is the biggest lesson you have learned in your time blogging?

If you could travel to any planet which one would it be and how would you get there?

Do you ever give your cars (or other transportation) names?

What’s your weirdest habit?

What are your 3 desert island must haves?

Gifting The Mystery Blogger Award

Simon of Beyond the Infinite

Barb of Bipolar Barb

Ami of Undercover Superhero

Aaron of Confusing Middle

Trina of Its Good to be Crazy Sometimes

Mystery Blogger Award

What is the Mystery Blogger Award?

“Mystery Blogger Award” is an award for amazing bloggers with ingenious posts. Their blog not only captivates; it inspires and motivates. They are one of the best out there, and they deserve every recognition they get. This award is also for bloggers who find fun and inspiration in blogging, and they do it with so much love and passion.
– Okoto Enigma

The Rules of the Mystery Blogger Award

• Put the award logo/image on your blog
• List the rules
• Thank whoever nominated you and provide a link to their blog
• Mention the creator of the award and provide a link as well
• Tell your readers 3 things about yourself
• Nominate your favourite bloggers (*I changed this from 10 – 20 people…)
• Notify your nominees by commenting on their blog
• Ask your nominees any 5 questions of your choice; with one weird or funny question (specify)
• Share a link to your best post(s)

My Award

I was gifted this award by Mel who blogs over at Decor Craft Designs.  Mel’s blog is chock a block full of crafty ideas and inspiration for fun projects, if you haven’t visited her blog then head over and take a look!

I love these awards as they give me an opportunity to share snippets about myself with you guys and also to ask some questions of my own!  I am really touched that Mel has gifted me the Mystery Bloggers award and that she thinks my posts are ingenious, my blog captivates, inspires and motivates!  Thank you so much, Mel, for the Award!

Three Things About Myself

• I’ve recently gotten into gardening and have loads of ideas and plans for my garden!  I’m excited to see how they all come together!
• I used to love a night out on the town, coming home in the early hours and not going to bed until the morning but now that is my worst idea of fun!
• I’m forever thinking of things to do and my list seems to be getting longer and longer!  I am blaming Pinterest for this as I get inspired by so many things on there.

Mels questions

• Do you have a kid’s toy you still love to play?

I have a lot of my old toys from when I was a kid but I don’t play with them anymore, they serve more as being ornaments now than toys.  I do still have my watercolour paint set from when Iw as a kid and still play around with that though!

• What is your best character?

My best character would have to be Eeyore, even though he is pretty sad much of the time he always is included in what his friends are doing.

• Which city/country you can’t wait to re-visit?

London!  My brother and his wife along with their children live there and whenever I visit they take me out to visit lots of different places!  London is such a fab city and there is so much to do and so much history there!

• What part of your home that you’ve been dying to renovate?

At present, my garden, though I am working on that!  The other place I’m dying to renovate is my spare room though I am still undecided on what colour to paint it or what to do with it.

• What junk food do you love so much?

Crisps and ice cream, though not both together!

My Questions

• What is your favourite colour and why?
• What one thing do you wish you had known before you started your blog?
• What is your favourite time of the day?
• If you could do anything for a day, what would it be?
• What is your most favourite uncool clothing item?

My Favourite Blog Posts

• Why I Love Blogging
• I Broke Up With Facebook
• How I Stay Creative
• What’s In My Bag?
• A-Z of Spring Cleaning

My nominees

• Currently, Lately
• Because I’m Fabulous
• INFJ Ramblings
• Bournemouth Girl
• Hello Bexa
• Undercover Superhero

Thank you again, Mel, for nominating me a Mystery Blogger Award! Hope you like my answers and my best posts!

For those who are nominated, I hope you read your nomination and accept it, congratulations!

Wanna Know You Better

Riya who blogs over at World Of My Thoughts tagged me in a “Wanna Know You Better” quiz that she is hosting over on her blog and I thought it would be fun to answer her questions!

STEPS:

1. Title the blog post as “Wanna know you better!!” ( try to make your post pictorial as this will make it look interesting)
2. Describe Riya’s blog and a put link to this post.
3. Describe and thank the one who nominated you.
4. Copy all the questions and answer them one by one.
5. You may create your own questions for your targets (it will be fun)
6. Pass the game as a challenge to any of your favourite bloggers and mention them in your post.
7. Add a link of your post in the comment section below so that people may come to know about you, your blog and your fun. (in the comment section of Host’s post)
8. State the steps.

Riya who blogs over at World Of My Thoughts is new to me blog.  I found her blog after she responded to my Saturday Shout Out blog post.  Riya writes some beautiful poetry and shares some really lovely quotes among other things!  Head over and check her blog out!

I am always interested in getting to know my fellow bloggers and sharing things about myself though sometimes these things don’t always seem worth writing a full blog post for so it’s questionnaires like these that I really like for sharing the small things about myself!  Thank you, Riya for nominating me to take part!

QUESTIONS:

First, 10 briefly explain questions:

• What really makes you angry?

I believe in treating everyone fairly, it doesn’t matter what you earn, what your job is or what your title may be, fairness is something that we should all live by so I get pretty angry when people are treated unfairly for any reason.

• If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?

This is a hard one as I tend to get bored with food things fairly quickly, however, I really enjoy toast with lime marmalade or marmite with a tomato and a coffee.

• What is your biggest fear?

I have loads but my biggest is spiders.  I hate them.  I’m sure I have an inbuilt spider sensor as I can honestly tell when there is one in the room before it makes an appearance.  I have been known to phone my Mum to come and remove the offending creature for me as once I have seen a spider in the house I won’t enter that room until I know it has gone.

• What has been your best moment this year?

I’ve had so many good moments this year and we are only just nearing the halfway point!  My best moments have to be hitting 300 followers on my blog which I am so amazed at!  And also learning that I love gardening and have been able to grow things!

• If You Could Live Anywhere In The World For A Year, Where Would It Be?

I currently love where I live right now but the only thing I would change is that I’d like better weather!  If I could live anywhere though, I’d love to live on the coast and be able to wander down from my garden onto the beach every day!

• How do you relieve stress?

I get stressed pretty easily and have to take medication for stress, anxiety and depression which helps, however, when I do start to feel my stress levels rise I practice mindfulness with the Calm app or Breathe on my Apple Watch.  If I am at home, sitting in silence and reading a good book can help too!

• Would You Rather Go To Space Or To The Bottom Of The Ocean?

The bottom of the ocean!  I think there would be a lot more interesting animals and things to see in the depths of the sea than in space!

• What’s your favourite season?

Each season holds a different love for me and I always look forward to the next one as the last starts to draw to a close but I’d have to say Spring and Autumn are my favourites.  Both are neither too hot or cold and both are the perfect times to wear layers and experiment with fashion a bit more.

• What’re your favourite sports?

I’m not a very sporty person but when I was younger I was in several different sports groups at school –  cricket, basketball, netball and cross country running.  I did start running again but have recurring pain in my knee which has put a stop to that.  I’m not a fan of watching sport either.

•  Did you like Riya’s blog?

I do 🙂

Now, 10 this or that questions:

What would you prefer?

• Beach or mountains

Beach definitely, every time!

• Ice cream or milkshakes

Icecream as you can always let it melt a bit to become milkshake!

• New York or Paris

Paris, though I have never visited either!  Paris is closer to where I live and I’d love to go and see the museums there!

• Ugly genius or Good looking stupid

Ugly genius!  I think too much emphasis is put on looks these days rather than intellect so I’d much rather be smart thinking than stupid!

• Pizza or Burger

Pizza is one of my favourite food groups!!!  And you can mix and match your toppings to suit what you fancy so it can be different each time you have one!

• Summer or Winter

Summer as I’m not the hugest fan of snow, being cold or rain.

• City or Village

Village.  As much as I love going to the city (Cardiff, London, Bristol…) I’d much rather live in a quieter place and be able to travel into the city for day trips than live there 24/7.

• Spring or Autumn

Hmmm… Autumn over Spring though I love each of them!  Autumn is when my Birthday is, and there is something magical about watching the leaves change colour, the scent of bonfires on the breeze and it’s when my hayfever seems to lessen.

• Mathematics or Science

Science!  As it has got a bit of maths mixed with chemistry and physics thrown in!  it makes for a much more interesting subject than maths alone!

• Train or Aeroplane

Train, though this is purely because I have never been on a plane.  And there is something romantic about the notion of taking a train somewhere…

Now, here are the friends whom I challenge to do this:

1. Giggling Fattie
2. Planet Simon
3. A Guy Called Bloke
4. Confusing Middle
5. Therapy Bits
6. Keep It Alive

For those who are not being mentioned above, you can also try the game with the same instructions. Feel free to enjoy this. But, make sure you mention me in your post, please

The Versatile Blogger Award

 

• Award Guidelines

If you are gifted, you’ve been awarded the Versatile Blogger Award.

Thank the person who gave you this award.

Include a link to their blog.

Gift and notify 3 bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award that you’ve recently discovered or follow regularly.

Finally, tell the person who gifted you 5 things about yourself.

• Thank You

A Big THANK YOU to Rory who blogs over at A Guy Called Bloke for gifting me this award.  I am always really touched and honoured to receive blog awards, and this one is no different!

If you have not been to Rory’s blog then please do check it out!  Rory is a brilliant writer and covers a whole host of different topics, from stories to gardening tips, blog interviews and other fun things!  Rory is always kind and welcoming and I really enjoy all that he posts about!

• My Notes

I will be gifting 3 other bloggers this award at the end of this post.

I really like Rory’s take on this Award, he says that…

l have opted to handle these awards differently – this is not meant to be seen, read or interpreted as derogative towards the creators of these awards themselves as that is not my intention.

I no longer use the term nomination, l only use the term ‘gifting’, this is because these awards are not nominations, but stand-alone awards.

You are under no obligation to respond, there is no need to further gift the VBA out to others should you not wish to. Please simply accept my gift to you as the compliment it is.

• What is the Versatile Blogger Award?

The VBA principally is about supporting other bloggers, it’s about community and if nothing else – we can all agree that WordPress is about community, about the freedom to express ourselves through our craft, our skill and our talent.

When you consider gifting a fellow blogger for the Versatile Blogger Award, consider the quality of the writing, the uniqueness of the subjects covered, the level of love displayed in the words on the virtual page. Or, of course, the quality of the photographs and the level of love displayed in the taking of them.

Honour those bloggers who bring something special to your life whether every day or only now and then.

• 5 Things About Me

I’m not a fan of spiders, so much so that I will even ring my Mum to come and remove them for me (and I’m in my 30’s).

When I was a kid I always dreamed I would be a wallpaper designer or create greeting cards…

I like to have a plan for everything!  I have blog plans and plans for each day, what I am going to wear, what I am going to eat and what I am going to do.  It helps with my anxiety.

Learning to drive is one of my biggest and proudest achievements.  I never really wanted to learn to drive and didn’t really see any need to drive when the bus service was sufficient for me, but it has been one of my biggest life changers and has enabled me to do so much more in my life!

I like to set myself daily goals, whether it is to write 3 blog posts, take 10,000 steps or to drink more water.  Goals help my day to go quicker and if I meet the targets I have set then I feel like I have been productive!

• I am gifting the VBA to the following bloggers….

Ami of Undercover Superhero

Giggling Fattie of No Luv For Fatties

Candace of Revenge Of Eve

Sunshine Blog Award

Introduction

I really like Rory’s idea of the Awards being seen as being gifts rather than nominations, and as Rory explains so well himself, here is his explanation of award gifting…

I use the term ‘gifting’.

These awards are not true nominations, they are one stop awards. Now this means, that if you are gifted, you are under no bound obligation to pay it forwards or gift it forwards yourselves and can simply accept them as the gifted compliments to your blog that they are.

You do not have to answer any of the questions unless you so choose to do so, you do not have to further gift out if you do not choose to do so either.

Whilst there are many variations of TSBA doing the rounds – there is always a mixture of the original rules. Whilst l will always answer the questions asked of me whatever the number, l will ONLY ever ask 5 questions maximum of those that l gift to, as l think that is a much fairer number.

Rory Matier

 

A BIG Thank You to Rory who blogs over at A Guy Called Bloke for this gift of the Sunshine Blogger Award!  I am really thrilled to receive it!  As is stated below, the award is for bloggers who are creative, positive and inspiring and I am truly honoured that someone would think that I am deserving of such an award!  If you have not been to Rory’s blog then I can assure you that it is worth checking out!  Rory is a very fun blogger and is kind, welcoming and warm-hearted, he has a fantastic blog about all sorts of different things, from gardening, eco-matters, blog games, stories and so many other interesting things, there is sure to be something that you will enjoy!  You can find his blog here; it’s definitely worth checking out!

What is the Sunshine Blogger Award?

The Sunshine Blogger Award is an award for bloggers who are creative, positive, and inspiring – people who spread “sunshine” to the blogging world!

Award Guidance

• Thank whoever gifted you and include a link to their blog
• Use the “Sunshine Blogger Award” logo on your post and display the Guidance.
• Answer the questions from the person who gifted you the Award.
• Choose 3 bloggers that you wish to gift the Award to.
• Ask 5 questions of your choice.
• Notify those you gift the Award to.
• Answer the Questions

The Questions

• If you could do something a bit naughty every day and not get caught, what would you do?

I think that I would become a modern day Robin Hood of sorts and steal food from supermarkets and donate the items to local foodbanks so that the poorer people of the community would have access to more products.

• What are the unwritten rules to blogging?

This is a hard one given that there are so many different blog posts about blogging, the do’s and don’ts, guidelines and books that give so many different rules.  My personal unwritten rules are to always be true to yourself, have confidence in what you write, have fun with your blog and if you have any ideas then try them out and see what happens!

• What kind of cult would you like to start?

I’m sure I am already a member of the blogging cult and, as a stationery obsessed woman, I seem to have fallen into some kind of cult with that!  The cult I would really like to start is one where everyone is nice to each other and gives each person the respect that they deserve, helps each other and doesn’t judge another because of their background, beliefs or actions, rather understands where those things came from.

• Is a HotDog a sandwich, a roll or an overheated K9?

Definitely an overheated K9!!!

• What is the most creative, inventive and imaginative insult you can come up with?

Blasphemous peanut headed twit warbler.

 

My Questions for my Giftees

• If you had to choose one job to do for the rest of your life what would it be?
• What is your favourite way to unwind after a long day?
• If you could dance like no one was watching, what dance would you do and to what track?
• What is your favourite word and why?
• What is the hardest thing about blogging?

 Gifting

I choose to gift the Sunshine Blogger Award to …

Giggling Fattie

The Pretend Grown Up

PeckapaloozaPeckapalooza